THE FERGUSON CENTRE FOR
AFRICAN AND ASIAN STUDIES
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THE FERGUSON CENTRE FOR |
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Roehampton Conference Abstracts 11. Zhao Baisheng (Peking University, China): Zhao Baisheng is Executive Vice Chair of the Institute of World Literature and Secretary General for the Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies. His publications include Theory of Auto/Biography (2003). Critical discussions of China Men (1980) by Maxine Hong Kingston pay little attention to the economic undercurrents of Chinese immigrant workers as a vital force in the formation of a cross-cultural identity. It is true that the Chinese myths in juxtaposition with the life stories of four generations of China men in U.S.A add a much-needed dimension in understanding the migrant mentality. However, these fail to explain the generational differences of the Chinese immigrants, which are essentially linked to economic circumstances. In this paper, I demonstrate how the invention of the Gold Mountain, referring to the U.S.A in general and to California in particular, by the China men plays a crucial role both in the transformation of an identity and in the creation of a new American Myth. The ghost mindset, the demonization strategy, and the gold complex of the Chinese immigrants will be examined to understand the process of economic migration. Other works by Kingston, and by other American Chinese writers, along similar lines will also be analysed.
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